


Ride the Winds

by Woogiegirl



Series: Half Life Impact AU [1]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life: But the AI is Self-Aware, 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28782969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woogiegirl/pseuds/Woogiegirl
Summary: The day Gordon Freeman received his Vision was a day like no other! Actually, scratch that, it was like any other day to be honest.
Series: Half Life Impact AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190252
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	Ride the Winds

The day Gordon Freeman received his Vision was a day like no other! Actually, scratch that, it was like any other day to be honest. 

Amongst his friends he was the only one who had not been granted a Vision, and while he wasn’t particularly upset, he might have harbored some minor envy towards them. 

Over the last 10 years of his life, Gordon actively studied Visions and the elements of The Seven that were found in Teyvat. Most of his research was conducted within Mondstadt, but occasionally he’d take the journey towards Liyue as well. His friend Tommy ended up being gifted a Hydro vision during one of their research trips. 

It was during that trip as well when Gordon began feeling both jealous and a bit impatient. After witnessing and congratulating Tommy on his new found power, he realized Tommy had been the last to gain an elemental Vision from The Seven within his group. 

Gordon, of course, always felt guilty when feeling like this towards any one of his friends. He also wonders if maybe the gods are looking down on him for feeling such a way. Beggars can’t be choosers, and so even if these feelings linger, Gordon must accept his fate of being Vision-less. At least his friends are kind enough to assist him in his research. 

One of Gordon’s newest projects as of late was to harness excess elemental energy and store it in a catalyst device. Gordon knows deep down this is mostly for his own personal satisfaction, yet he also figures that other Vision-less people can perhaps use this in times of emergency. Like, for example, Mondstadt’s third hilichurl invasion this week. The man had decided that that would be the perfect opportunity to test out his first catalyst prototype, but he ended up getting dragged away by Coomer and Tommy and reported to Jean the Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius for dangerous conduct. 

At least he found a playmate for his son Joshua with Klee for whenever she’s released from solitary confinement. And while Gordon loved his energetic little man, even he noticed similar feelings of envy towards him. As even Joshua at the ripe age of five was given a Vision as well. A Geo Vision. Gordon scowled and scolded himself and tried to will away his slowly burning frustration. 

He just didn’t want to be utterly useless when, say, something worse than a hilichurl showed up at their front door. An Abyss Mage perhaps. But Gordon also felt left out whenever his puny human reflexes were against him when traversing the harsher areas of both Mondstadt and Liyue and seeing all of his friends grow stronger physically from practicing with their Visions. 

Once home, Gordon immediately fell into bed, burying his face into a plush pillow. He groaned and turned to his side, eyeing a group photo that he had taken on his first visit to Liyue. Gordon sighed and closed his eyes, simply wanting to rest after today’s little mishap and opted to try tomorrow with his prototype catalyst on maybe a slime or something. That is, until he heard a loud crash coming from the living room. 

Panic and dad instincts set in immediately as he jumped off his bed and ran towards the living room, worried that his son might’ve gotten hurt. He skids to a halt, instant tunnel vision as to assess the situation and stop the intruder, but he doesn't see anyone or anything inside his house. Instead, a large stalagmite had burst through his ceiling, it’s obvious gold glow indicating it was the product of a Geo Vision. 

Gordon suddenly remembers that his son wasn’t even home today! Joshua was out playing with the neighbor’s kid for the day since both sides had very energetic children who couldn’t be cooped up too long. Gordon blames his exhaustion on his forgetfulness and starts to observe the stalagmite with practiced precision. He ghosts his fingers across its surface, noting its glossy texture and how it shifts from smooth to a little bumpy the more he makes it toward the point. 

Once Gordon gets to the very tip of the rock, he grips it with both hands tight and begins to tug. He’s seen plenty of Geo rocks develop various strengths and he’s no stranger to some being more fragile than others. All previous worries and maybe more important worries that should be thought of right now are completely gone from his mind. He’s far more fascinated with the more unique form of Geo that’s come to him. 

However, after a few moments of pulling that feel like eons to Gordon, he gives up trying to simply break off a piece with his bare hands. Slowly circling the stalagmite, Gordon thinks of other means of breaking it since his lab is on the other end of Mondstadt’s walls where all his tools are. This is certainly a much more stronger form of Geo that wasn’t unknown, but whoever created it was pretty experienced or powerful. 

Gordon’s train of thought hit the breaks from another loud sound, this time from Tommy. The much leaner man burst through his door with a loud bang. 

“M-Mr. Freeman are you alright?!” 

Gordon jolts in place.

“WH-yeah! Yeah, yeah Tommy I’m fine. Is this about..um..,” the man stops talking to point to the stalagmite in front of him. 

“Yeah! It’s huge Mr. Freeman. I-I’m glad you’re okay. It’s so big so I was very worried.” 

Gordon gives a small smile to his friend, thankful he cares so much for his safety.

“Thanks Tommy, but I’m ok. I’m not sure where it came from, but it’s very tough. Could you help me break off a portion?”

“A-Are you sure you d-don’t to remove it from your house?” 

“How big is it?” Gordon asks. 

“Well, c-come take a look!”

Both Gordon and Tommy exit the house and turn around to find that the stalagmite was much bigger than Gordon had anticipated. He was lucky enough that the much thicker end of the rock didn’t fall through completely. Otherwise it would have destroyed his entire roof. Gordon also takes note that this thicker end has a similar glossy texture to that of the more pointed side, but shows no rigged bumps either. 

“Well then…,” Gordon sighs.

“Y-Yeah..But don’t w-worry! I can remove it for you!” 

Before Tommy can begin the process, Gordon interrupts him. 

“Wait! Can you maybe preserve a big piece? Like about the size of my hand. I want to study it.” 

“Sure Mr. Freeman!”

Once Gordon’s request was out of the way, he witnessed Tommy pulling out his catalyst spell book in which he uses for Hydro manipulation. With eyes locked on the stalagmite, Tommy flips a few pages and clasps his hands together. Hydro energy begins to seep into the rock before them, glowing brighter the further it goes. Eventually, the entire stalagmite is covered in blue cracks, pulsing like a heartbeat. 

Tommy mumbles a ‘1, 2…’ under his breath before releasing the stored up energy. The stalagmite bursts into a multitude of pieces as water splashes high, before descending down in a small fit of rain. Gordon eyes the sky for a bit until he notices a good sizable chunk start to come down. Gordon raises his hands above his head and catches the piece with an ‘ _umph_ ,’ staggering a bit in place, somewhat surprised by the weight of even one chunk of rock. 

Looking at his prize, Gordon tilts the stalagmite piece a few angles, seeing that he got a more smooth piece, but also that this particular Geo rock had an internal structure similar to a cor lapis. While still glossy, the inside of the stalagmite shifts in a stair-like pattern, going from a deeper gold to an amber orange. Gordon smiles with a ‘heh’ and faces Tommy, rock clutched to his chest. 

“Thanks man, you’ve gotten really good at using Hydro.” 

“T-Thanks Mr. Freeman!” Tommy rubs the back of his neck at the praise. “My d-dad taught me a few tricks shortly a-after I gained it.” 

“Doesn’t he have a Cryo Vision?” Gordon asks. 

“Well, yeah. But when Hydro meets Cryo there’s a-a freeze impact and it s-stores energy. When that e-energy is released, it bursts.” 

“Ahhh I see,” Gordon muses, “you’ll have to show me that later!” 

“Of course! But um…,” Tommy stops a bit, eyeing the now gaping hole in Gordon’s roof, “where d-do you think this came from? I’m worried someone is out to attack you.” 

“I-,” Gordon starts, but stops as he purses his lips in a straight line. 

That was actually a very good point. Gordon, up till now, had been far more concerned with gaining extra research material and especially one of great size, but he hadn’t even thought of the reason behind its appearance. He squeezes the rock in his hands, thinking, and shifting his gaze to the ground. He certainly doesn’t want to worry Tommy any more than he has, so he comes up with what hopefully is a reasonable sounding excuse. 

“I wouldn’t worry, Tommy. Unless the Fatui or an Abyss Mage started attacking innocent civilians randomly or gained a Geo Vision, I’d say this was more of an accident on someone else’s part.” 

“A-Are you sure?” Tommy’s voice sounded incredibly hesitant. 

“Yeah I’m sure. Really! I still appreciate your help, too. But I think for now I should start picking up Joshie.” 

“Okay. B-But if you need anything, p-please don’t wait to ask! I’ll be a-sure to bring the others next time, too.”

“I really appreciate it, Tommy.” 

Tommy simply nods in response and turns to walk home, giving a wave to Gordon before disappearing. With the rock still in hand, Gordon enters his house and places it atop a bookshelf for later, deciding it should be time to pick up his son. As he exits, he takes out his keys to lock the door, but shortly after the deed he starts to chuckle at himself. What’s the point of locking up your house if you have a giant gaping hole in your roof? 

After the small laughing fit, Gordon ends it with a small sigh, the real trouble and work of the situation crashing down on him all at once. Still, he decides not to be too upset over it, as he can ask Tommy to gather the rest of their group when it’s time to actually do the repairs. The more he thinks of his friends, however, he remembers why he had Tommy leave. 

The moment Gordon witnessed Tommy’s Hydro Vision, he felt that usual guilty envy. Gordon just wanted to rest for the day and not think about Visions, but of course living in a world where lots of its environment and functions relies on these multiple elements, it was certainly hard to get away from it all. But Gordon does his normal scolding his thoughts, like he does every afternoon of every day. 

Gordon tries to remember as he left Mondstadt where exactly his neighbor mentioned they would be bringing the kids for the day. Casually greeting the knights as he walks, Gordon goes to the usual play date spot of Windrise and he was correct to come here as he spots his son Joshua sitting beneath the giant tree. 

Making his way upwards with a few ‘heave-ho’s,’ Gordon greets his neighbor and their son. 

“Hey! How’s everything?” 

“Oh Gordon! Good to see ya, everything is fine. Well, somewhat..” his neighbor hesitates. 

“Hm? What’s the matter?” 

“Well…,” Gordon’s neighbor looks over to Joshua who had been busy plucking grass by the tree’s roots. 

“Joshua, can you come here please?” 

Gordon recognizes that tone. It’s the ‘gently reminding you that you’re in trouble’ tone that many parents use. Gordon has used it, too. 

Joshua looks up from the ground, an obvious frown on his face. He slowly gets up from his spot, clutching a handful of grass as he walks. Joshua’s eyes are glued to the ground as he finally reaches Gordon and his neighbor. He doesn’t say a thing. 

“Now, Joshua, what do you have to say to your father?”

Joshua says nothing at first, his lower lip quivering slightly. His tiny fist clutches the grass a little tighter.

“Joshua..,” the neighbor says a bit more sternly, but still soft.

“I-I’m sorry..,” Joshua mumbled.

“Ooh bud..,” Gordon frowns. “What happened?”

“Gordon,” his neighbor began, “did, perhaps, a giant stalagmite hit close to your house?”

Gordon was surprised to hear that, actually. Yes, indeed, a stalagmite had found its way to Gordon’s house and into his roof as well. The man opens his mouth slightly in shock, but immediately closes it again to answer the question.

“Y-Yes. How did you know?” 

His neighbor clears their throat. 

“That was Joshua’s doing. Him and my son were playing pretend and I heard Joshua shout ‘watch this!’ Next thing I know, I see a dozen Geo stalagmites rain down around Windrise and one flings all the way to Mondstadt!” 

“Oooh I see..” Gordon says as he nods. 

Thinking back, Gordon had observed that the rock was incredibly tough and it’s strength was a clear sign of either power or experience. Knowing now that his own son had produced such a structure from his Vision, Gordon felt somewhat proud. He was sure Joshua would have apologized anyhow if he had made the stalagmites while both were sitting at home, so he went on to reassure his neighbor. 

“Don’t worry about it, though. A friend of mine helped me remove it and I plan on gathering the rest of my group to help fix my house.”

“Fix your hou-Wait! It busted your house?!”

“Well, yes! But it’s ok! Joshua’s a kid and kids can be reckless. Plus, he’s only had his Vision for not even half a year, so I wouldn’t be too upset with him.” 

Gordon’s neighbor huffed at his response, looking over to Joshua whose eyes were still locked on the ground. They shrugged their shoulders and called for Joshua to come closer. As he did, he looked up at his father with a regretful look on his face and Gordon couldn’t help but feel a little bad. With a slow and gentle hand, Gordon pats his son on the head. He smiles as Joshua starts to giggle a bit at the contact. When Gordon stops, his son is now beaming up at him with sparkling eyes. Joshua jams a hand into one of his overall pockets and pulls out a crumbled plant.

He holds it up to Gordon with a big grin, showing off his front teeth gap. 

“But I got you this daddy!”

Taking it from Joshua, Gordon gently opens the folded leaves and petals. After a few moments of flower origami, Gordon realizes this is a windwheel aster! While not uncommon, these flowers can only grow by certain Anemo Statues. Finding one growing was also a sign of good luck and fortune in Mondstadt. 

“Thank you, Joshie.” Gordon says.

Joshua only responds with a giggle. Looking up from his son, Gordon notices his neighbor holding their own child’s hand and walking back to the city. The sun is beginning to set now over the grassy hills, so Gordon figured it should be time to head back as well. Gordon places his hands underneath Joshua’s arms and hoists him up on his shoulders for a piggyback ride. He hears the familiar clink of Joshua’s Vision clipped to one of the straps on his overalls.   
  
“Tell me how your day went, bud.” Gordon begins as he walks.   
  
“It was great! Me and Mitch played all day and ran around and climbed the big tree..and..and..um I got really excited and um..” Joshua stops his replay of his day suddenly.   
  
“You got excited and..?”   
  
“I got excited and I told Mitch to watch this! And I closed my eyes reaaaallly tight and then I heard woosh and crack blam bang noises!” Joshua emphasizes his experience by pumping his fists in the air and waving his hands around.   
  
Gordon chuckles.   
  
“I just wanted to make a big rock me and Mitch could stand on for our game, b-but then it got out of control.” Joshua’s words grow sad.   
  
Gordon frowns a little and then speaks up.   
  
“It's okay, Joshie. You’re still young and so you’re still practicing. Y’know, I’m really proud of you.”   
  
“You are?”   
  
“Yeah! I really am! Ever since you got your Vision, Joshie, you’ve been doing all sorts of cool things with it. Imagine what else you could do.”   
  
“I could be a cowboy!” Joshua shouts enthusiastically. 

Gordon chucked again. He truly does love his son.

“Yeah bud! You could be a cowboy.” 

The conversion between Gordon and Joshua made their trip back home seem a lot quicker than it was. In the moment they re-entered Mondstadt, the sun had already dipped past the horizon and the golden lamps of the city lit up in a comforting way. Gordon found his way back home and placed Joshua back down on the ground. When the man unlocked his door, feeling pretty stupid as he did so, he was met with a few shouts of surprise. 

“It’s about time you made it home, dumbass!” A familiar and more hoarse voice yells. 

“Welcome home, Gordon!” Another shouts with excitement. 

“H-Hi Mr. Freeman!” That was definitely Tommy’s voice. 

Gordon stopped briefly to see that it was Tommy, Bubby, and Dr. Coomer who had made themselves at home in his house. Not that he was complaining, just curious as to why they were here. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Gordon asks. 

“To help Tommy, of course!” Coomer replies, although it didn’t directly answer the question. 

Gordon looks over to the leaner man. 

“To h-help with your r-roof, Mr. Freeman. I was able to find Bubby and Dr. Coomer to assist me. I was g-gonna find Benrey and Darnold, too, b-but neither of them were around.” Tommy explains. 

“I’m not too shocked you didn’t fucking see it.” Bubby retorts without incentive. 

Still somewhat surprised, Gordon stood there at a loss for words. He wasn’t really planning on having Tommy, or anyone if he were honest, to help him fix his roof anytime soon. Gordon’s own shock was broken by the sounds of his son, who had stood there similar to Gordon for a few moments himself, before running up to Tommy and Dr. Coomer, arms open wide.

“Uncle Tommy! Uncle Coomer!” Joshua shouts in glee, colliding with both men in a big hug. 

“Hello there, Joshua!” Coomer says with just about the same amount of excitement. 

Tommy simply smiles. 

“ _Ahem_.” Bubby coughs, side-eyeing the three. 

“Uncle Bubs!” Joshua says as he releases Coomer and Tommy’s hold to practically tackle Bubby.  
  
Bubby looks to be nearly puffing out their chest the moment Joshua wraps his arms around them. Normally, Gordon hears them complain over the innocent nickname Joshua dubbed them the moment the two first met. But whenever Joshua is ever in Bubby’s company, it’s obvious their heart melts. Everyone, however, takes Joshua’s nickname to playfully tease Bubby. Especially Dr. Coomer (as if he doesn’t tease Bubby enough).   
  
The heartwarming meet and greet ends as soon as it began and Gordon’s thoughts go back to the situation at hand. Before Gordon could begin, he watches as Joshua climbs into Coomer’s lap and the stockier older man lightly bounces his knee. 

“You guys..man. Thank you so much.” Gordon says as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Not a problem, Gordon. We’re always happy to assist,” Coomer responds. 

“Yeah. Tommy even told us how it happened. A giant Geo stalagmite?” Bubby cocks his head. 

“Ohoooo yeah,” Gordon laughs, looking at Joshua. 

“Joshua?” Gordon says.

Joshua’s eyes light up after being granted permission to tell his tale. 

“I did that!” The little boy shouts. 

“You did that, Joshua?” Coomer looks at him with wide eyes. The man also wields a Geo Vision himself. 

“Damn. Really showed your old man, huh?” Bubby quips.

Gordon squints at Bubby before lightly chuckling to himself. 

“R-Really?” Tommy awes. “W-Wow, Joshua, that’s really impressive.” 

At all the positive affirmation, Joshua poses with fists on his hips and a wide grin. Everyone’s heart explodes at the sight. Gordon eventually offers to make his visitors dinner, but all kindly decline, stating they each have their own business to attend to. Gordon understands and, again, thanks them for fixing his roof. 

The man watches, with Joshua waving goodbye in his arms, as Bubby, Dr. Coomer, and Tommy all make their way home. Gordon gives one final sigh, knowing that now that his day is finally over. He brings Joshua inside to prepare dinner and head off to bed. He gives Joshua his nightly story — this time about an ancient ruin guardian — and jumps right into bed. 

…

Gordon’s morning goes just how he expects it everyday. He thanks the gods for his current wellbeing and starts preparing breakfast. Gordon hears Joshua run downstairs and turns to greet his son with a hug. 

“Hey bud! Good morning!” Gordon smiles.

“Mornin’ daddy!” Joshua yells. 

“Ready for school today?” Gordon asks as he lets go of Joshua.

“Aww, do I have to?” Joshua pouts with puffed cheeks.

“Yeees you haaave to. But won’t you see Mitch, too?” Gordon says playfully. 

“Oh yeah! Me and Mitch still have to finish our game.” Joshua says. 

“Yeah! But no more giant rocks, ok Joshie?” Gordon looks at his son with a smile despite his words. 

Joshua looks to the floor before speaking, apparently in deep thought. 

“Can I..still make little rocks?” 

“Of course, bud, but keep them that way until you get older.” Gordon explains.

“Okay!” 

The rest of that morning is fairly silent, say for the occasional clinking of dishes. Gordon helps Joshua get ready, backpack and all, before seeing him off with the rest of his class and waves goodbye. Gordon heads back inside to gather his own belongings, making sure to also grab the stalagmite piece he had carefully stored away. Today he was going to his lab, as usual, to do some more research on his catalyst prototype. 

Getting a hold onto some strong Geo samples was certainly a win in Gordon’s book. He had conducted all kinds of tests with Dendro, Pyro, Hydro, but hadn’t had a chance to try Geo yet. That or Cryo and Electro, either. One was a bit harder to come by and the other had a user who Gordon wished wasn’t so damn stubborn about letting him study it. 

As Gordon made his way towards the lab, he felt a funny tickle in his fingers. He looks down to glance at the Geo rock in his hands, but finds nothing unusual. Gordon’s brow furrows in confusion, but gains a new sense of intrigue with his sample. With this in mind, Gordon speeds up to the lab, excited to get started. 

…

After a couple of hours of study, Gordon decides it’s time to test other elements on his Geo sample. Gordon had taken a crack at it, metaphorically and physically, with various elemental tools. The man also tested to see if he could extract some elemental residue for his catalyst, which, unfortunately, had come up nothing by the end of an hour. Those strange feelings that he had felt in his hand prior to starting had come up again, this time in his arms and shoulders. Gordon was a bit worried he was catching some unwanted side effect from this Geo rock, but he thought back to the other times he had come across Joshua’s other Geo mishaps, so this was certainly new. 

Despite his initial worry, though, Gordon’s mind temporarily tossed those feelings aside. Time for a little field study. Gordon gathered his notepad, backpack, and Geo sample, and went to go find his friends. Not only will Gordon’s group help him find a suitable place to conduct elemental tests without property damage, they can also help him get there, as most places Gordon used for his experiments were a bit tougher to traverse. 

Gordon locked up his lab and made a quick trip to Tommy’s place. He knew at least four of his friends lived in Mondstadt’s city, so finding them was easy. Gordon lightly rapped on Tommy’s front door and the man opened it within a blink of an eye. 

“Oh h-hi Mr. Freeman. What’s up?”

“Hey Tommy! I’m gonna be working in the field again today. Was wondering if you could help me?” Gordon tilted his head slightly as a persuasion tactic. It was unnecessary. 

“S-Sure! Do you w-want me to get the o-others?” Tommy asked. 

“That’d be great, man. I think I’m gonna head towards Cape Oath.” 

“Sounds good Mr. Freeman. I’ll g-gather everyone and meet y-you there!” 

Gordon left Tommy to his task while Gordon himself started the trek towards Cape Oath. If the man was quick enough he could make it in record time, and hopefully before the sun set. Gordon had been jogging shortly after exiting Mondstadt and passing by Windrise, and by the time he had made it almost halfway, he decided to take a breather. Sitting down on a rock, Gordon pulled out a sunsettia fruit from his bag and regained some energy as he ate. 

Around 10 minutes passed before Gordon was ready to start up again. Picking up his bag and checking to see if he remembered the Geo sample, Gordon began his journey once more. By that point it was around, say, five in the afternoon. When the day striked six, that’s when Gordon finally made it to Cape Oath.

Heaving a sigh, Gordon sat his ass on the grass and looked out into the open sea. Cape Oath was certainly a beautiful gazing point, even if getting here took some time on foot. After a few peaceful moments of admiring the view, Gordon heard his friends join him up on the cliffside.

Coomer was the first to address him. 

“Hello Gordon!” The older man greeted. 

“You got here a lot quicker than us! I’m surprised.” 

Looks like Tommy was able to rein in Darnold this time around. Experienced Dendro user and potion enthusiast. The guy was kind, but always somewhat elusive. He highly valued his own work, similar to Gordon.

“When do y-you want to get started Mr. Freeman?” Tommy asked as he caught up to Coomer and Darnold, Bubby trailing behind him. 

“Whenever you guys are ready!” Gordon responded. 

All five individuals decided to have a chat before starting on some of Gordon’s experimental plans. Tommy even made veggie soup for them all and handed out bowls to everyone. While he was setting up, Bubby pulled out some sticks and set them up in the middle of the group. Using their Pyro Vision, Bubby lit the sticks into a small fire to help warm up their meal. 

“I’m still somewhat shocked you got here before us, says Bubby. “Normally you’re heaving your ass to get anywhere while we all wait for you.” 

“Yeah, I’m not sure either,” Gordon said distantly, “just felt light on my feet today.” He lifts the bowl to his lips, taking in a good chunk of soup. 

“A good exercise can get you anywhere, Gordon!” Coomer says, mouth full of veggie soup. 

“Harold! Swallow first, Christ..,” Bubby mumbles.

“Sorry,” Coomer says muffled, swallowing. 

While they were all eating, Gordon notices Tommy look up past Gordon’s head curiously. The man tilts his head as he squints his eyes as well. Tommy doesn’t do anything else besides stare. No one else notices Tommy’s behavior besides Gordon. 

“Tommy-?” Gordon begins.

“ _Boo_ ,” mutters a low voice, hot on Gordon’s ear. 

“AHH!” Gordon yells as he lurches forward for safety. 

The man slowly turns his head to see what scared him and was met with a cackling Benrey, Electro Vision energy fizzling around their form. While Gordon gets up and wipes the grass off his clothes, Benrey invites themselves over to the group’s huddle, plopping down next to Gordon. 

Bubby found themselves snickering under their breath with Coomer not too far behind, both older men covering their mouths. Tommy, too, was trying to stifle a smile. Darnold just observes the party. 

“Man, what the hell Benrey?” Gordon attempts a glare at them. 

“Wh-huh? Little baby-babyman too high strung for a little joke?” Benrey asks. 

“I am not high strung. You could at least have warned me you were coming.” Gordon crosses his arms. 

“Booooo but that’s no fun, bro. Look, everyone else enjoyed it.” Benrey explains as they point to the group. 

The moment Gordon looks at everyone else, each one attempts at acting as if they weren’t just laughing. All of them look away in different directions, each looking embarrassed. 

“Come oooon. Take it easy?” Benrey teases as he elbows Gordon. 

Gordon shifts his gaze back and forth between Benrey and the others, before coming up with an idea. 

“If I lighten up, will you help me with your Electro Vision, Benrey?” Gordon gives Benrey a sly smirk. 

“Nah,” Benrey states flatly. 

“W-What do you mean ‘nah?’” Gordon says, dumbfounded. 

“That’s uhh-that’s classified stuff there, bro. Have to really get to know me for that one.” Benrey scratches their chin with a finger as they talk. 

This was how they always were with Gordon. Avoiding his requests, making him jump out of his boots, so on, and so forth. Benrey’s antics did, at times, make Gordon laugh a little, but today he would give Benrey no such satisfaction. Who scares someone on top of a cliff? That’s what really grinded Gordon’s gears in that moment. The man just huffs as Tommy offers Benrey a bowl of soup. 

The group, plus Benrey, finish up their food and talk and decide to start working on Gordon’s experiment. Gordon takes out the Geo sample and holds it up chest high. Everyone simply looks at it as Gordon explains that his son had made a Geo stalagmite that bust through his roof — although everyone knew that already — and thanks to Tommy’s Hydro Vision they were able to break apart the stalagmite and salvage a piece. 

“So, I want you guys to start pounding at this with your own Visions. Gently, mind you! I haven’t really worked on elemental reactions with Geo, so I thought I’d start now. Sorry, Dr. Coomer.” Gordon finishes sheepishly.

“I don’t even know why you’re apologizing, Gordon,” the older man says with a shrug. 

“I just thought-I don’t know...that you were feeling left out, I guess.” 

“Well, apology accepted then!” Coomer says. 

Moving away from the cliffside, Gordon places the Geo rock onto the ground, as everyone else forms a circle around it, summoning their weapons. 

“Alright guys! One at a time! And remember, please be gentle with it.” Gordon reminds everyone. 

“Yeah, yeah, we get it!” Bubby responds. 

First up was Coomer. The older man readies his claymore, tightly gripping the hilt. The claymore’s blade begins to glow that familiar gold and Coomer pounces forward as he lifts the claymore above his head. Coomer slams his blade hard onto the dirt, causing a small wave of Geo rocks to form as soon as the claymore collided with ground. The Geo sample ricocheted and bounced atop the other Geo rocks before stumbling back down. Nothing much there. 

Gordon hastily makes notes as Coomer backs up and gives Bubby their turn. Bubby pulls out their bow while simultaneously pulling three arrows back on the bow’s string. Each arrow tip fizzes and sparks ablaze. Bubby squints behind their glasses as they release their hold on the string. All three arrows hit a bullseye onto the Geo rock, stuck hard in its surface. Suddenly, a vortex of flame bursts from the ground, lighting up the rock with it. When the fire comes back down, Gordon notices the Geo’s tips are slightly melting before the tiny Pyro flames fade out, only leaving smoke. 

Before Darnold could start his turn, Bubby walks a little closer to the Geo sample and pulls out their arrows. Darnold takes out his catalyst device and it glows a faint green. The catalyst’s sphere core glows slightly brighter before thick, thorned vines burst from it. Almost like snakes, the vines twist and coil before stiffening and striking the Geo hard. One vine pierces through the rock entirely, leaving a gaping hole where it was struck. 

“Oh oops,” Darnold says, retracting the vines immediately.

Gordon goes on to reassure him.

“No, no, that’s fine, actually. Great, even! I didn’t know you could hit so hard.” The man continues filing notes. 

Darnold looks away shyly with a small smile. 

Gordon finished the last of his observations in his notepad before looking to Tommy. 

“I know you’ve already hit a giant stalagmite yesterday, but if you want to try something different, you can.” 

“Oh alright!” Tommy says, slightly surprised. 

Tommy summons his catalyst book and eyes the Geo rock. The book’s pages begin to flutter fast as the book glows a bright blue. Similar to Bubby’s Pyro attack, a water vortex spins and curls around the Geo sample, slowly lifting it into the air. Suddenly, the vortex freezes in place before exploding and splashing water. A few bubbles even appeared from the burst, one floating over to Gordon and popping in his face. 

Gordon looks down to his sample and notices that some sides of the Geo have crystallized, a hard and gray outer shell covering it. He writes some more before shutting the notepad closed. Gordon walks over to the Geo rock and places it back into its bag. 

“Thanks, guys. That was good!” Gordon says, standing up. 

“No problem Mr. Freeman! G-Glad we could help.” Tommy speaks up. 

“Yeah,” Darnold talks next, “plus, I think I have a few new ideas for my own Dendro use.” 

Gordon looks over to Benrey who hadn’t moved since the group made their formation. Their arms were crossed and they looked to be in deep thought.

“Do you..want to try?” Gordon asks, pulling out the rock. 

Benrey eyes the Geo briefly before looking away.

“Nah.” 

“Suit yourself then.” Gordon shrugs. 

...

Gordon’s group decides to finish up for today, dispelling their weapons and gathering whatever else they had brought with them. As they walk back the sky becomes a little cloudy, but Gordon doesn’t feel like it’ll rain, so he keeps quiet. All’s quiet and a bit boring, walking back home. The strange static feeling that had been minutely plaguing Gordon all day was starting to swell up a bit, and he felt it almost everywhere in his body. 

Was he getting sick? Could he have an allergic reaction to elemental combinations? All sorts of worries cloud up in Gordon’s mind, zoning out as he walked with his friends. Gordon didn’t even realize his mind was so far somewhere else until he heard a sickening high-pitched cackle.

“ _I thought I sensed some powerful energy here_!” The voice shrieks. 

Gordon looks up to find not one, not two, but three Abyss Mages floating ahead of the group. Two Pyro and one Cryo Mage. Minor panic sets in until Gordon remembers that he has five Vision users on his side. Without wasting a second, each one readies their weapons. Yet, all the Mages do is laugh. Their banshee-like uproar seemingly shakes the trees and Gordon to his core. All Gordon can do is stare. 

“ _Oh we’re not interested in_ **_you_ **,” The Cryo Mage says.

“ _No, no…_ ,” one of the Pyro Mages mutters. 

“ _We want..._ **_him_ **,” the Cryo Mage points to Gordon at the last word. 

Gordon’s eyes widened. He takes a subconscious step back, not visibly shaking, but he could feel goosebumps rising on his skin. What did they want with him? Bubby and Darnold arranged themselves to act as Gordon’s shield, while Coomer and Tommy took the frontlines. Gordon blinked and noticed Benrey had somehow disappeared and both him and the Abyss Mages hadn’t noticed. 

And then, in a sudden blink of electricity, Benrey reappeared behind the Cryo Mage, grabbing onto its neck with both hands and slamming it down onto the wet grass. Gordon watches as Benrey pulls out their own weapon: a polearm. Twirling it in their fingers, Benrey spins the polearm, a whirl of Electro energy gaining on the metal. With one final twist, Benrey pushes the polearm into the Cryo Mage, pinning it into the dirt. Electro surges between the wet blades of grass. 

The Mage cries out in pain before a mixture of laughter comes with it as well. Benrey furrows their brow in confusion. 

“ _Fool!_ ” The Mage hacks, “ _you two, attack them!_ ”

At the command, both Pyro Mages look to the rest of the group and readies an attack. One Mage begins muttering a strange spell under its breath, but before it could unleash it, sharp vines entangle it, wrapping tighter. The Mage struggles a breath and wiggles in the vines’ grasp. The other Mage imitates it’s partner, charging a, most likely, Pyro spell. Coomer rushes in after it with his claymore, speed boosted by Tommy’s Hydro spell, but before Coomer’s attack lands a blow on the Mage, it blasts a powerful fireball straight towards Gordon. 

Gordon stands there defenseless, unsure what to do at the elemental magic surging right towards him. He braces himself and shuts his eyes tight, but doesn’t feel any flashes of heat or pain. Slowly opening his eyes, Gordon sees that a strange force stopped the attack entirely. Gordon had also lifted his arms up in a futile attempt at a shield, too. 

“Wh-What the hell..?” was all he could muster in the moment. 

When Gordon lowered his arms, the force dissipated and the fire blew out in a puff. A weird pressure began to build everywhere in his body, but a comforting one. Gordon’s fingers brush against a glassy material and when he looks down, his face returns to a shocked expression. 

It was a Vision. 

Lifting up the glass amulet, Gordon is enamored by the turquoise reflection, a winged symbol glowing brightly in the center. Gordon had been gifted an Anemo Vision and it had saved his life. He grips the Vision between his fingers and smiles. Looking up at his friends, they all seem to wait as Gordon situates himself to join the rest in the battle. 

Gordon does notice Tommy’s slight hesitance, but the man shakes his head and resumes the fight. Gordon focuses a good deal of Anemo energy in his hands, and unleashes a tornado straight towards the Cryo Mage. Bubby flings three arrows that get caught up in the winds, lighting up the tornado like a ring of fire and setting off a swirl reaction. The two other Pyro Mages end up sucked into the gale and all three enemies are flown far away. As soon as the combined attack stops, the group’s adversaries drop down Cape Oath, into the waters below.

“Ooooooh my God!” Gordon loudly sighs as he drops to his knees. 

“Yeah…,” Tommy breathlessly replies. 

“Well that was certainly unexpected!” Coomer says next. 

“Nevermind that! Gordon got a Vision!” Bubby exclaims as he dispels his bow. 

“Oh! Right….,” Gordon pulls out the Anemo amulet. 

With Gordon still on his knees, the rest of the group crowd around him to look at the amulet. Benrey says nothing and blinks to Gordon’s side. It was an Anemo Vision, alright, complete with a rounded gold encasement. The stress and shock of the resulting fray with the Abyss Mages all but vanishes, instead being replaced with pride and excitement. Gordon’s smile widens. He just can’t believe it. 

“Y-You did it, Mr. Freeman! I’m so p-proud of you!” Tommy shouts as he hugs Gordon. 

Gordon’s friends follow Tommy’s lead and join in for the hug. Gordon melts into it with tight arms. Everyone stays just like that for a little while, but eventually let go, with Coomer patting Gordon’s head. The man gets up from the ground, wiping off grass and finding a place on his coat for his Vision. 

“I think it’s time to head back,” says Gordon. 

“Agreed,” everyone else says in unison, even Benrey.

…

Thankfully, Gordon makes it back before Joshua is home. Gordon places down his backpack on a nearby table and takes out his Geo sample and notepad. The Geo rock was still somewhat warm, probably a result of Bubby’s Vision, and Gordon places it right back atop a shelf. Gordon begins to prepare dinner as soon as everything is situated. 

The door bursts open with Joshua running inside to meet his dad. 

“Hi daddy!” Joshua shouts as he gives Gordon an unexpected hug from behind. 

“Welcome home, Joshie!” Unable to return the hug, but still warmed by it nonetheless. 

Joshua hugs a little tighter around Gordon’s waist before circling around to his front. Both stay silent as Gordon cooks, steam coming from the pot. Joshua stares as Gordon slowly stirs a spoon, holding onto his coat tightly. At some point, one of Joshua’s tugs causes Gordon’s Vision to clink on its place attached to Gordon’s coat. Joshua looks up curiously.

“What was that, daddy?” 

“Hm?” Gordon hums as he looks down at Joshua.

A beat passes, then he remembers.

“Oh! Hey, Joshie, look at this.”

Gordon lowers the spoon and lifts Joshua into his arms, angling him just right where he could get a good view of the Anemo Vision. The moment Joshua notices, his eyes widen, and with gentle hands, brings the Vision a bit closer to his face. 

“You got one of those crystal-y things?”

“Yeah! Now me and you both have one.” Gordon smiles as Joshua’s eyes light up. 

“Me and daddy can be cowboys now!” Joshua yells, shaking his hands and wiggling in Gordon’s grasp. 

The man just smiles wide at his son’s excitement, trying his best to hold him tightly so he doesn’t drop. Gordon looks back at the food and sees the pot begin to smoke a little. Putting Joshua down, Gordon turns off the stove and covers the pot with a lid. He looks down at Joshua.

“Ready for dinner, bud?” 

“Yeah! I have so much to tell today.”

Gordon and Joshua share a brief hug before starting dinner. Joshua excitedly recaps his day with Gordon as they eat, Joshua occasionally getting some food on the table. He really did find everything in the world exciting. Their nighttime routine is always the same, but Gordon didn’t fall asleep right away. He unclipped his Anemo Vision, holding it up above his head. The turquoise glow reflected in his eyes. 

It was truly hard to believe right away. Days, weeks, months, even years had passed as Gordon witnessed all of his friends, and even a few strangers, be given the exact thing Gordon both studied and yearned for secretly. Not only could Gordon finally catch up with his group, he also had a dozen more possible experiments to test out with Anemo. Gordon places his Vision on his nightstand before curling up in the covers of his bed. He thought about potentially going out and testing his new powers tomorrow before drifting off. 

  
  
Gordon thought about all the new potentials, all the new experiences, and all the new memories. 

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I had posted this shortly after Genshin Impact's 1.2 and Dragonspine update. However, I for some reason felt ashamed of my work and deleted it not only 10 minutes after posting it. 
> 
> But, I am very proud of what I've written and I want to share my work, so I'm putting it back up here. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading! If you all enjoy this universe I've set up, I'd love to write more about it.


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